


It Takes Time

by Aceiato



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Death Mention (minor), Cheating, Divorce, Keith x Regris Previous Relationship, Lance x Lotor Previous Relationship, M/M, YouTuber!Lance, break-up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 09:18:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15045824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aceiato/pseuds/Aceiato
Summary: After a hard confrontation with his husband, Lance is now left dealing with a divorce while maintaining his job as a public figure.No matter how much Keith overworks himself, his past continues to haunt him. He constantly feels empty and lonely- nothing is ever going to change.As Keith and Lance build their friendship, other relationships start to form as well and they start the long process of learning how to heal and grow.





	It Takes Time

**Author's Note:**

> Hewwo!  
> Thanks for clicking- this is my first story on AO3 but I've been writing for a while. Just finally decided to post something.  
> This story will switch from Lance's POV and Keith's POV, and endgame is Shance and Heith. Keith and Lance are only friends.
> 
> I'm not set on the title, so that might change once I have more of the story in my mind or think of something better.  
> This won't be beta'd so I'll appreciate any constructive criticism you have to offer!
> 
> Tags will be added as the story progress, rating will change as well as there will be sexy times.

It was quiet.

A lot quieter than it’d been for a long time.

_“Lance, if I could just-”_

_“Get out!”_

It was perfect.

 _Was_ perfect, Lance reminded himself. With another shaky breath, he pulled the blanket around him tighter. He could hear the rain hitting the window behind him and he almost couldn’t distinguish the sound from rushed footsteps up the driveway.

“Lance!?”

He hadn’t bothered locking the door, glancing over at the entryway to the living room to see Keith staring back at him. The image almost had Lance laughing. Keith was displaying more emotion at Lance’s breakup than his husband was.

Just the brief thought of him had Lance clenching his jaw. He screwed his eyes shut and let his forehead fall onto his knees as another sob wrecked over his body.

“Lance?” Keith’s voice was softer now as he walked closer, slowly as if he was approaching a frightened animal. “Lance, what happened…?”

_“It was a mistake. It will never happen again.”_

_“You’re damn right it won’t. Get out, Lotor.”_

“Lance?”

A gentle hand was placed on his back and Lance couldn’t stop himself from leaning into the touch. Keith’s hand moved and Lance couldn’t help a surprised gasp at being pulled into a pair strong arms, Keith’s chin now resting on top of his head.

“We don’t have to talk,” he whispered, turning Lance so that his back pressed against his chest. It was intimate, providing a comfort that Lance hadn’t been expecting from the other.

And Lance appreciated Keith’s offer, but wasn’t sure if he preferred the silence. It was a reminder of a now empty house, a now empty bed… an empty heart. A heart that physically _hurt_. He thought he knew what heartbreak was but this, this was so much worse than anything he’d experienced before.

His eyes hurt. His head hurt. His throat hurt. His _lungs_ hurt. It was like he couldn’t catch his breath, like he was suffocating.

“...ance? Lance? Hey, I’m right here,” Keith’s soothing voice returned and Lance let his head fall back onto his shoulder. “...Cupcake fell in the toilet again.”

Lance hiccuped, bringing the blanket up to rub his nose. “What?”

“Baby pushed her into the toilet again when she was drinking from it.” Lance closed his eyes, Keith’s voice deep enough so that he could feel it where his back was pressed against his chest. It was oddly soothing. “It would have been funny if she didn’t get toilet water all over the apartment.”

Lance couldn’t help a small laugh but it morphed into a cough, Keith lessening his hold. When Lance finally caught his breath again, he rested his head on Keith’s shoulder once more. Out of Keith’s three cats, Baby was the one Lance would bet liked him the most. He remembered she had been brought to the vet recently, but the reason escaped him.

“... is Baby feeling better?”

“Yeah, she’s a bit cranky though. They let me keep her tooth, so that’s cool.”

“I don’t think you know what cool means,” Lance mumbled into the blanket.

The evening continued with Keith providing distracting conversations, enough time having passed to where Lance finally accepted Keith’s offer to get him some water. Lance squirmed away when Keith pressed a kiss to his head, the latter laughing as he walked from the couch. The brief loss of comfort was upsetting, but he’d live.

Keith had always been a good friend, but intimacy and affection were rare. Lance wasn’t complaining, however. It just meant he had to appreciate said rare moments when they happened.

“Here…”

Lance took the tall glass, drinking half the contents before moving to place it on the coffee table but Keith reached for it first. The former then noticed Keith had carried a coaster from the kitchen and the action was amplified in Lance’s mind, but still so _simple_. Keith probably didn’t even think about it.

_“It’s just a coffee table.”_

_Lance forced a smile as he waited for his husband to look at him before replying. “You’re right. But the person who_ bought _the coffee table would like you to use a coaster so it doesn’t get ruined.” Lotor didn’t respond with words but Lance could see the argument in his eyes. “Why do you have to make everything so_ difficult _?”_

_As expected, Lotor smiled. “I didn’t say anything, love.”_

_“Don’t you ‘_ love’ _me,” A frown replaced Lance’s smile. “Every time I ask you to work with me on something, you refuse. Marriage is two people, not one bending over backwards to make sure they never make the other person angry.”_

_“You’ve never angered me, Lance.” Lotor finally set his phone down, moving to stand but Lance held out a hand._

_“Don’t… and don’t lie to me. I know… you’re not happy being with me anymore.”_

_“That isn’t true,” Lotor ignored Lance’s warning, standing and approaching his husband. “Lance, I love you more than you know.” A laugh escaped the taller man as he moved to embrace the other. “Why are you doubting my love for you over a coffee table?”_

_“I don’t know, maybe because you fucked Matt Holt?” Lance pushed Lotor’s arms away, with more aggression than needed. The look on Lotor’s face told Lance all he needed to know, and the latter couldn’t control the laugh that bubbled out. “I can’t fucking believe you.”_

_“Lance-”_

_“I loved you,” Lance’s voice broke but he continued. “I fucking loved you, and I’m not mad that you don’t love me anymore. That shit happens, and it_ hurts _. But you know what hurts worse? Finding out you’ve been fucking someone else for the past month.” Lance paused, laughing again when Lotor didn’t speak._

_“Of course you’re not going to apologize… why would you, right? You’re ‘Playboy Lotor’! You have to live up to your reputation! Never having a successful relationship, mooching off not only your daddy’s money but also your partner’s.”_

_“Lance-” Lotor’s voice was harder now, but it only riled Lance up even more._

_“No. You are_ not _allowed to be angry.” Lance pointed his finger and Lotor took that as an opportunity to reach for him again._

_“Lance, please-”_

_“Don’t fucking touch me!” Lance shoved hard, surprising even himself to see Lotor stumble back a few feet. “Don’t_ fucking _touch me… your suitcases are upstairs in the bedroom, if you still know where that is. Anything you can’t pack-”_

_“Love, don’t do this.”_

_“-I will find a way to ship it to you.”_

_“This is going to ruin not only_ my _image, but yours as well.”_

_Lance could barely believe what he was wearing. “Are you fucking kidding me? No, you know what? I should have expected that. Of course you care more about your image than the man you married.”_

_“Lance, we can fix this.”_

_“No, we can’t! And this isn’t a_ we _issue!_ You _fucked Holt, not me!” Lance grabbed the closest thing near him, throwing it at the other. Lotor easily deflected the picture frame but it would certainly leave a bruise with time._

_It was quiet now, Lance breathing heavily and not caring about the tears streaking his face. Lotor’s naturally calm composure had unraveled and Lance almost felt sorry for him. His eyes were pleading with Lance to reconsider, but Lance knew the other would never actually speak it._

_“Go pack your shit. And get out.” Lance repeated, and finally built up the courage to look away._

“Lance?”

As if it were possible, Lance’s eyelids felt even heavier. When he finally blinked enough times to see Keith staring down at him, he quickly realized he must have fallen asleep. The room was dark as the only light came from the street lights.

Lance cleared his throat to answer but started coughing, the glass of water meeting his vision again. The couch dipped next to him as Keith sat down, a warm hand rubbing his back.

“Don’t drink so fast…” Keith said, but as soon as the glass was lowered Lance was coughing again.

Lance held the glass in a tight grasp. More tears streaked his cheeks and for once, they weren’t a result of _him_. The rain must have stopped as it was deadly silent once Lance caught his breath. With the only sound being his obnoxious panting, Lance blushed as he cleared his throat.

He knew he didn’t need to say it out loud, but maybe it would help.

Even if Keith couldn’t relate to what he was feeling, even if Keith had no idea what to say. His presence would be enough. Lance didn’t even know how long Keith had been there for. How long had he been sleeping for?

Lance was about to move his head to glance at the clock but a reflection caught his eye. He focused his eyes on the object under the coffee table, a hiccup leaving him when he recognized it.

It was whatever Lance had thrown at Lotor before he left. Ironically, it was one of their wedding pictures.

Which now had gained a crack across the entire frame, the glass shattered more over both their faces.

Keith followed Lance’s gaze and upon identifying what he was staring so intently at, Keith quickly bent down and pushed the object further away and out of their eyesight. Lance looked at Keith before finally looking to the clock, gasping when he realized how late it was.

“Do-do you need to go feed your cats?” Lance’s voice was scratchy, and Keith smiled.

“No, they’re good.”

“What if Sugar gets trapped in the trash can again?”

“Then she’ll just have to sleep there for the night…” Keith brought a hand to wipe away any stray tears, before holding his face. “You’re more important than my cats, Lance.”

“Debatable,” Lance allowed a small smile, squirming away when Keith went to kiss his head again. “No, oh my god, stop.”

“What? I thought you liked hugs and shit,” Keith teased, pulling Lance’s arm so he had no choice but to accept the affection.

Keith moved to lay down and Lance turned so that he could rest his head on Keith’s chest, hugging his torso as Keith’s arms wrapped around him. It was a bittersweet feeling, holding someone. Lance couldn’t remember the last time he and Lotor had slept together, sexual or not.

“Keith?”

“Hmm?”

Lance swallowed before letting out a shaky breath, but his voice cracked anyway. “He cheated on me…”

Keith didn’t react immediately but when he did, his arms tightened around Lance significantly. “... want me to kick his ass?”

Lance chuckled, a broken sob leaving him. “Yeah, that’d be great.”

“You know I’m not joking, right? Just say the word, give me whatever hotel he’s staying at. He’s done for.”

“I know… I’ll think about it,” Lance rubbed his face against Keith’s shirt, closing his eyes. “I just… it all happened so fast, you know? I get a call this morning from this guy who’s crying and saying he fucked my husband. I almost thought it was a prank call… and then I confronted Lotor about it and-”

Lance’s sentence broke into another sob, Keith’s hand returned to rubbing his back.

“And he didn’t even _care_ , Keith. He… I fucking loved him, I _still_ love him. How fucked up is that? He-he broke my fucking heart and I still love him.” Lance gasped when his throat started to hurt again, evening out his breathing before continuing. “I’m so fucked up…”

“You’re not fucked up, Lance.”

“I am,” he insisted, but Keith did as well.

“You’re _not_. If you were, you wouldn’t have kicked him out.”

“I just… I miss him _so_ much.” Lance was surprised his voice hadn’t completely left him with how much it was breaking.

“I know,”

“No, you don’t.”

“I do,”

“Oh, I wasn’t aware you also had a sob story about losing someone you thought you’d grow old with.”

With his head on Keith’s chest, Lance felt how Keith’s heartbeat skipped a beat and he tensed ever so slightly. But he didn’t speak.

Lance didn’t know much about Keith, other than what he’s shared. And that wasn’t much. He very well could have his own sob story, and Lance would be none the wiser.

“His name was Regris,”

 _He does have a sob story_ , Lance thought with regret. “I’m sorry… I didn’t know.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to. I’ve never told anyone about it- well, no one I’ve met after moving here.” Keith cleared his throat. “... you would really like this story, at least the beginning. We were high school sweethearts-”

“Shut up,”

“-and he was on the football team, and I was this little emo kid.” Lance failed to muffle his laugh, but Keith continued. “… we were engaged and one night, we were talking about the wedding. I didn’t want one but he had a big family so I decided to suck it up. We were planning out everything, and I must have fallen asleep.

“I woke up the next morning and the whole day was fine. Normal… but, um… he never came home from work?” Keith cleared his throat again, and Lance slowly leaned up to look at him but Keith was staring up at the ceiling. “So I tried calling him… and calling and calling, and he never answered. I tried-” Keith paused to take a deep breath. “-tried calling his work, but I couldn’t get through.

“I brushed it off as a coincidence, you know? If I couldn’t get through, then I thought maybe they were just busy, and he’d be home soon.” Another pause, and Lance let his head rest on Keith’s shoulder. “I finally left the bedroom and he had left the TV on in the living room, so I went to turn it off… and it was on the news, that there’d been a fire at his work. And, um… I think you can figure out the rest.”

“I’m so sorry, Keith.” Keith rubbed Lance’s back as a reply, and the latter buried his head in his neck.

“So, it’s different, yeah, but… I kinda know you feel. Or, how it feels to lose someone you thought you’d grow old with…”

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to bring it up, I was just-”

“Hey, it’s okay…” Keith’s hand moved from Lance’s back to run through his hair. “Just enjoy our bonding moment.”

Lance snorted, but cuddled further into Keith’s side as if it were even possible. “If you tell anyone about this, I’m denying it.”

Keith didn’t reply and Lance was slightly worried that he had upset him, but groaned when he felt another kiss to his head.

**Author's Note:**

> I have Ch 2 ready but I won't be posting it until I finish Ch 3, and that'll be the continuous theme with this fic.  
> Once Ch 3 is done, I'll post Ch 2 but won't post Ch 3 until Ch 4 is done, etc. This will just encourage me to stay productive, because (I'm assuming) people will want me to update lol and that will hopefully push me to keep writing!
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [aceiato](http://www.aceiato.tumblr.com).


End file.
